Its truly ironic that only one day after I posted comments from FPD regarding burglaries and the need for residents to lock up their valuables, that we find out one of their own has been arrested for burglarizing the FPD property room.Click here for the OC Register's story.
Wondering how many more bad apples will fall from the FPD tree, I asked Acting Chief Dan Hughes if it was safe to say that FPD was trying to clean house.
"I would rather phrase it as I promised if I learned of any suspected conduct by an employee at the police department that violated public trust, I would immediately investigate and take decisive action. Hopefully, the community will recognize I intend to keep my promises."Ok, Chief, that's one way to look at it.
I like Chief Hughes; I think he is sincere about his job and the public's trust. I'm also acutely aware that he has some level of culpability in the culture of corruption within FPD.
That said, how can two people seeing the same thing not agree on what to call it? Is not the sky blue??
As it turns out, what I see as a culture of corruption I think Hughes and the FPD command staff sees as a deficiency in training or perhaps ignorance. Gennaco's report thus far seems to support the "deficiency in training" mindset while the rest of us listening to the OC District Attorney's rehash of the same event -"see my fists? They are getting ready to fuck you up"- and it supports a clear case of corruption preceded by and followed with actions not supported by any departmental policy.
Lecturing to a classroom filled with police recruits on following policies to keep your job, a police chief once noted, "Why create a police policy? If you have a written policy, you have to follow it." Implied was the notion that employment is more important than doing what is right. It uses ignorance as an excuse while we all know that ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse for violating the law.
Lecturing to a classroom filled with police recruits on following policies to keep your job, a police chief once noted, "Why create a police policy? If you have a written policy, you have to follow it." Implied was the notion that employment is more important than doing what is right. It uses ignorance as an excuse while we all know that ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse for violating the law.
I don't know what all of the issues are within the Fullerton Police Department but it is clear that some employees are corrupt. Not dealing with the problem for 17 or 18 years has made it much worse. Not having specific written policies all these years has also contributed to the culture.
But I do know that a few more of those bad apples will fall before the public's trust is restored. And shaking the tree hard is Dan Hughes.
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